Your inside connection to all the LGBT-related news that matters in Ohio and beyond!

Yesterday I appeared in a segment by NBC4 Columbus about a recent study showing 1 in 4 students in Ohio schools say they’ve been physically abused for being lesbian, gay bisexual or transgender, which is much higher than national statistics.

As I mentioned on NBC4, I’m not surprised at all by the results of the survey in Ohio. Because of my work with the It Gets Better Project, I talk to students and parents all the time who relay stories of torture faced by gay high school and middle schools students in small towns in Ohio. Just last month, after I spoke at a Coming Out Day event, a mother approached me in tears telling me about her son and the struggles she faced with trying to get the school to even recognize that her 13-year-old son was being bullied because of his sexuality.

We can no longer stand idly by and continue to watch or simply talk about the anti-gay bullying epidemic in this country. We have to start making it better now for our gay youth. It’s no longer just an issue of conservative versus liberal belief, it’s become an issue of safety. And all youth have the right to be safe at school. (Check out my new organization, the Make It Better Foundation, to see how you can help!)